Alex James's Travelling Life

I spent about 10 years living out of a suitcase while touring with Blur, which was brilliant. But it was a big change to move to a farm in Oxfordshire, where I fell in love with my wife. The longer you live on a farm, the harder it is to tear yourself away from it, but we do travel a fair bit. We’ve got five kids but are quite portable, always travelling in a big van. And it’s not too bad travelling on a plane as we colonise a whole row of seats and my kids always have their iPads with them to keep entertained. But they get so excited on planes, saying: “Dad, they’re bringing us nuts! And look at all these films!”

What do you need for a perfect holiday?

My family. The more members I have with me, the better. And I don’t always need to have things to do. I think heat is overrated, and the wilderness is underrated (I love to get lost somewhere), as are the north of England and Scotland, where even the Queen goes on holiday. Northern Europe is massively under-explored, especially the northern parts of Scandinavia. I remember doing some great trips to Iceland, Greenland and particularly Luleå, in north Sweden, at the edge of the Arctic Circle. Scandinavia has some fantastic food and great shops.

Going on holiday is as much about what you can leave behind as what you take with you, and I’ve just posted a 'travelling’ collection of all the things I can’t live without on eBay. I love sourcing stuff from there - anything from from sun block to snow boots. One of the things I've learnt from travelling is that it's often the unexpected places that are the best. And if the food's not good somewhere, I'm not interested. Otherwise,I'm up for more or less anything.

Greenland

Favourite family break?

My kids are at an age (the eldest is 10; the youngest is three) where they think everything is brilliant. I could never forget the delight on their faces when we stayed at an airport hotel once, probably one of the worst places to be. They’ve got so much to still discover, so everything seems amazing to them. We took them to Los Angeles last year and they made a group decision that we should all move there. It has everything kids would love, from sunshine and swimming pools to massive billboards and great theme parks.

Spas are also a great option for family holidays. The kids love saunas, Jacuzzis and swimming pools just as much as my wife does, so everyone is happy. A holiday at home is also fantastic, getting a chef and masseurs to come in, but I know it might not feel the same. Basically, if you’re putting on weight and you can’t get internet, that’s when you’re really on holiday.

Favourite city?

New York and Paris are always great. Last year, I visited Montevideo in Uruguay, which was absolutely brilliant. It was like Bournemouth but in South America, a combination of decaying elegance and burgeoning growth with really cool people.

Favourite city you have toured?

The ability to travel is a great privilege of our generation and musicians have always been able to go everywhere. There’s a myth propagated by boring people in c--p bands that all you get to see when you’re on tour is the hotel room and the venue. But that’s only because they’re idiots. If you’re in a great band, you get dragged around to see all the best places in town. Touring in South America was mind-blowing for me. I’ve always loved Argentina – it’s so utterly wonderful and Buenos Aires is fantastic. Sometimes you arrive in a place and you just don’t want to leave. I felt that about Argentina. I think travelling makes you realise there are so many ways you can live your life and be happy. The less I travel, the less I think about that, because I get so absorbed in everyday life. But wanderlust needs feeding.

Best city for food lovers?

Lima is incredible. It’s got desert, mountains, the Pacific and the Amazon, so it can grow anything. I was there last year and tried dishes with snail eggs, weird plants, ants – really crazy stuff but all delicious. The food scene in Spain is doing well at the moment. El Celler de Can Roca in Girona snuck in last year at the top of the world’s best restaurants list, and I have to agree – it’s pretty good. I’ve been to quite a few on that list but I found that the real variety in food around the world is in what people eat every day, from pizza in New York and soba noodles in Japan to ceviche in Peru. I think Japan has the best food in the world and it’s really healthy as well.

Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles

Best place for cheese?

My love for cheese began during my travels with the band. Denmark has some fantastic ones. Some hard cheeses in Holland are off the scale. Some cheesemakers in Australia are doing great things with sheep’s milk. My favourite cheese changes all the time, but cheddar is hard to beat.

Favourite hotel?

I often think about a hotel in Essaouira in Morocco which didn’t have any electricity. The restaurant had no menu but the freshly caught fish they served in candlelight made up for everything. Claridge’s in London is always nice, as is the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong.

Best piece of travel advice?

You’ve got to take the rough with the smooth when it comes to travelling, there’s always a bit of both.

Coming home is both the worst and best bit. I miss my dog and the chickens when I’m away.

Where next?

Maybe Chile or Patagonia. One or two of Saturn’s moons look quite interesting. Space is almost like the “new ocean”.

Alex James is a guest curator for eBay Collections, a new feature on eBay allowing users to curate and group items together and discover items through visual stories. For more information, see ebay.co.uk.